More backyard grilling mistakes come from not using a thermometer than from any other single cause. Guessing doneness by look, feel, or timing is unreliable. A thermometer costs less than a bad meal and takes about two seconds to use.
Instant-Read vs Leave-In Thermometers
An instant-read thermometer gives you a reading in 2 to 5 seconds. You pull it out, check, and put it back in your kit. It is the most versatile option for most grilling situations — steaks, chops, burgers, chicken thighs.
A leave-in probe thermometer stays in the meat during the entire cook and is connected to a receiver or an app. This is ideal for long cooks like roasts, brisket, or whole chickens where you do not want to open the grill repeatedly.
Where to Insert the Probe
Insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat, away from bone, fat, and the grill grate. Bone conducts heat differently from muscle and will give you a false high reading. For poultry, check the thickest part of the breast and the thigh separately.
USDA Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
- Beef, pork, lamb, veal (steaks, chops, roasts): 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest
- Ground beef, ground pork: 160°F (71°C)
- All poultry (including ground): 165°F (74°C)
- Fish: 145°F (63°C)
- Shellfish: cook until shrimp, lobster, crab, and scallops are pearly or white and opaque, and clams, oysters, and mussels open during cooking
These are the USDA’s safe minimum internal temperatures for food safety. A 3-minute rest after removing meat from heat allows the internal temperature to continue rising slightly and allows juices to redistribute.
Carry-Over Cooking
Meat continues cooking after it leaves the grill. Thick cuts can rise 5°F to 10°F (3°C to 6°C) during resting. Pull the meat off heat slightly below your target temperature to account for this — especially relevant for steaks and roasts where you are targeting a precise doneness level.
Calibrating Your Thermometer
Check accuracy by placing the probe in ice water — it should read 32°F (0°C). If it does not, adjust using the calibration nut on the back or replace it. An inaccurate thermometer is worse than no thermometer because it gives false confidence.
A reliable thermometer is the single most impactful tool upgrade most backyard grillers can make.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Temperature Chart, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart (reproduced by the Virginia Department of Health: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/6/2023/07/Cook_to_a_Safe_Minimum_Internal_Temperature.pdf). The FSIS page returned HTTP 403 to the fetch tool; the figures were confirmed from the VDH reproduction (last reviewed December 16, 2022). Checked 2026-10-08.